Saturday, March 11 at No. 1 Vermont (ESPN2 - 11 a.m.)
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BURLINGTON, Vt. - A chance to dance is on the line for the No. 2 seeded UMass Lowell men's basketball team (26-7), as the squad will vie for its first ever Division I title in the 2023 Jersey Mike's America East Playoffs championship game on Saturday, March 11 at 11 a.m.
A WIN WOULD
A win against the Catamounts would mark the first ever America East Championship and NCAA DI Tournament bid for the River Hawks. It would also improve UMass Lowell's overall record in 2022-23 to 27-7, extending the program record for wins in a season at the DI level.
POSTSEASON HISTORY
This marks the River Hawks' sixth season eligible for the postseason at the Division I level. The team has qualified for the America East Playoffs in each of its eligible seasons. This will be the first time the River Hawks have faced Vermont in the playoffs. UMass Lowell has advanced to the championship game once previously (2021). This is also the first year that the team has earned the right to host during the playoffs, defeating No. 7 Maine and No. 3 New Hampshire en route to the championship appearance. Previously, the team's highest seeding was at No. 5. The program is now 50-40 all time in post-season games.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
If the River Hawks secure their first ever America East Championship, they will be the league's automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Tournament. The 2023 selection show is set for Sunday, March 12 at 6 p.m. on CBS.
LEADING THE FLOCK
Four River Hawks are averaging double-digits, as
Everette Hammond boasts 13.8 points per game on 46% shooting from the field. Right behind him,
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly adds 11.5 points, in addition to a team-best 7.7 rebounds per game. The primary playmaker this season,
Ayinde Hikim totals 114 assists with 10.8 points. Rounding out the double-digit scorers is
Allin Blunt, who chips in with 10.4 points and 1.6 3FGs per game.
Max Brooks adds 8.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, and paces the team with 59 blocks. Â
LAST TIME OUT
Allin Blunt registered a game-high 19 points to lift No. 2 seeded UMass Lowell to a thrilling, 75-64 victory against No. 3 New Hampshire in the semifinal round of the 2023 Jersey Mike's America East Playoffs in front of a capacity crowd at Costello Athletic Center on March 7. The suspenseful matchup kept the rowdy crowd on its feet from start to finish with 11 lead changes and 11 tied scores. The board was even an astounding eight times in the second half alone, including for the final time at 54-54 with less than 10 minutes remaining, but
Everette Hammond would make the layup that gave his side the upper hand for good. Brayden O'Conner then followed with an and-one and
Max Brooks added a huge tip-in dunk to put UMass Lowell ahead, 61-57, at 7:51. The Wildcats were back within a bucket twice down the stretch, although Hammond hit a timely layup and Blunt drained a clutch three with just over a minute to go to help seal the decision.
SEEKING REVENGE
Dating back to the end of January, UMass Lowell's last three losses this season came to Maine on Jan. 25, New Hampshire on Jan. 28, and most recently, Vermont on Feb. 11. During their playoff run, however, the River Hawks have already eliminated the Black Bears and Wildcats, in the same order, and will look to avenge their final setback when they take on the Catamounts on Saturday.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Everette Hammond becomes the first River Hawk since Jahad Thomas (2016-18) to be named to the America East All-Conference First Team.
Abdoul Karim Coulibaly and
Allin Blunt each earned a spot on the Second and Third Teams, respectively, while
Max Brooks was tabbed to the league's All-Defensive Team. Additionally,
Pat Duquette was named Coach of the Year, marking the program's first ever America East major award winner.
THAT'S OUR COACH
In addition to being named the America East Coach of the Year, Duquette has also been tabbed a finalist for the Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year Award.
GOING STREAKING
The River Hawks are in the midst of a six-game win streak heading into Saturday's contest. The team already put together a nine-game win streak earlier this season from Nov. 16 through Dec. 10, marking a new DI program best and the program's longest streak since a 13-game stretch during the 2008-09 season.
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
Defense has been a huge point of emphasis for the program this year because as Duquette says, "It all starts with defense." The team is currently fourth in the nation in rebounding margin (+8.3). The River Hawks also lead the America East in blocks per game (20th in the country) and field goal percentage defense (27th in the country).
CALM UNDER PRESSURE
The River Hawks have trailed in the second half in just six of their wins so far this year, each time putting their resiliency and maturity on display. Most notably, the team trailed by a bucket at 54-52 vs. UNH in the semifinal on March 7 with less than 10 minutes to go before outlasting the Wildcats.
FROM DOWNTOWN
The River Hawks turned in their best performance from long range this season to earn just their second win in the last 13 meetings against the Catmounts on Jan. 11. The team, which sunk 13 threes on 59.1% shooting against Vermont, now leads the league with a 38.6% clip from beyond the arc in 2022-23, including at least eight threes in 12 of their 33 contests. While
Ayinde Hikim went a perfect, 4-for-4 from three-point territory against Vermont,
Everette Hammond has drained a team-best 57 threes this year.
ADDING A SPARK
The depth of the River Hawk roster has been apparent all season, but in the last three games, the bench has averaged 31 points to help lift the team to victory. The spark off the bench has been spearheaded by Cam Morris, who has averaged 7.5 points in the last four games, and
Brayden O'Connor, who posted a team-high 14 points against Maine on March 4. This season, the River Hawk bench is averaging over 25.2 points per game, improving from 20 points per game last year.
SEEING CLEARLY
Ayinde Hikim has a knack for finding the open man. With 114 assists so far, he becomes the first River Hawk to surpass 100 helpers in a season since Jahad Thomas dished out 107 in 2017-18. He totaled 11 assists against Sacred Heart on Nov. 16 to set a new Division I program record after
Ryan Jones first logged 10 in 2018 vs. NJIT.
STARTING STRONG
The River Hawks held UAlbany to just 16 first-half points on Feb. 1, good for a season low. A strong first half has been important to the team's success this season, as UMass Lowell in 23-3 when leading at the break.
THE THREE IS KEY
Three-point shooting has proven to be key to the River Hawks' success so far, as the squad is 16-1 in games where they sink at least seven threes.
SHARP SHOOTERS
The River Hawks, who shot a season-high 63.5% from the field in the win against Emerson, have outshot their opponents in 25 of their 34 games this season. The team surpassed 50% shooting in 16 out of 33 games so far, as well. The team is averaging 48.7% from the field to rank 13th in the nation.
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